The chemical-electrical-mechanical conversion process is the process by which chemical energy is used to create electrical energy, which can then be used to create mechanical energy. Batteries, such as lithium-ion batteries, generally include a positive current collector (e.g., aluminum such as an aluminum foil) having an active material provided thereon (e.g., LiCoO2) and a negative current collector (e.g., copper such as a copper foil) having an active material (e.g., a carbonaceous material such as graphite) provided thereon. The chemical reaction that ensues in a battery is used to produce electricity for connected devices, such as an electric motor, where the electrical energy can be converted to mechanical energy.
However, the chemical-electrical-mechanical conversion creates significant energy loss. In the case of lithium-ion batteries, conversion efficiency from chemical to electrical is no more than about 80-90%. As coupled to a low watt motor (less than 10 W), the conversion efficiency is between 30-60%, create an overall chemical-electrical-mechanical conversion efficiency of between 24-54%. This means there is a cumulative energy waste for each step in the conversion process. As such, though chemical energy is one of the most efficient means currently available to store energy, much of this stored energy is still lost in the conversion to mechanical work.